Skator Gator 3D

An amazing sequel to an already amazing game, Sk8r G8r 3D improves upon the first Sk8r G8r game in all but one thing and that being the levels. This game only has 13 levels unlike the first game which had 27 levels plus 3 secret ones adding up to 30 levels in total, which is a real shame because a game as good as this should have had a lot more, but numbers of levels aside this games graphics, level design, alternate skins, soundtrack, controls, artstyle, and story are all improved upon significantly, and thanks to the collectables and achievements this game has replay value to make up for the lack of levels. But overall this game gets a 9.5/10.

I would've loved to love this game — and I almost did. It's simple, pretty, colorful, and the gameplay is very good, with mostly responsive controls. If you just want to beat it, though, it's too short (I'd say around 2 hours). But if you go for 100% completion, the game becomes very unbalanced. I managed to 100% almost every level with only a few retries each, but the very last one is simply ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. To get the time trophy, you have to finish a level within a certain amount of time — which is cool and all. Most of the time, the limit is generous enough for you to make a few mistakes (even quite a few). But in the very last level, you practically have to be perfect (unless you're a professional speedrunner instead of a regular player). So, out of my ~5 hours of gameplay, more than 2 of them were spent just trying to do that. That doesn't make any sense. Still, a positive review for the other 98% of what the game delivered.

Cosa bella, bonita y bien hecha.

very charming game! very short levels but it makes it more fun to keep replaying them for completion.

corto,divertido pero muy desafiante si quieres completar los desafíos,me gusto

Played entirely on Steam deck in desktop mode. Ran great. Fun little game. took me 2.6 hours to 100% it. Is that worth $5? that's a you problem to figure out.

I got interested in Skator Gator and it's sequel, Skator Gator 3D, when randomly browsing the Steam store and happening to stumble on the series. Cute, animal protagonist? Check. Small scope and quick playtime? Check. In a genre I like? Check! After going through all the pros of the title purchasing and playing it seemed like a no-brainer; and I'm glad to report that it was an extremely pleasant experience. Skator Gator 3D is a well-designed platformer with a tight scope and clear vision. The game's controls are simple. Playing as Greenjamin the Alligator (epic name by the way). You have the ability to walk around and perform a short dash with the appropriate button. Dashing can also be done in midair and in typical 3D platforming fashion allows you to close gaps and make jumps you would otherwise be unable to (think Mario's dive in Super Mario 64. The move is honestly a 3D platformer staple at this point). There's also a "Super Jump" ability in the game but I actually didn't know it existed until the very end of my playthrough and only used it to get one achievement (I WOULD be interested in speedrunning some of the levels again to see if the jump makes a difference though). Additionally, Greenjamin can grind rails strewn throughout levels, which temporarily shifts the gameplay to a more restricted, locked control scheme where your only movement options are to switch rails and jump. I haven't played the first Skator Gator yet but from the footage I've seen in its trailer it appears this is a 3D take on the entire gameplay of the first game, which seemed to take place entirely on-rails and be from a 2D perspective instead. That choice is honestly really cool and makes this game feel like a sensible evolution for the series. Greenjamin feels great to control and at no point did I ever feel like I was fighting with the game to get him to do what I wanted. One of my favorite parts of my experience was replaying all of the stages to beat their challenge times. While speedrunning stages, there were times that I chained Greenjamin's admittedly simple abilities to flow through them continuously and effortlessly. That "flow state" feeling is something I seek from most platformer style games, and its presence is typically the mark of a good one. The game also has two power-ups, the Eel Blaster and Wild Wings, which both give Greenjamin enhanced abilities and helped shake-up the gameplay a bit in later levels, which I liked. Aside from the gameplay, the game features a very simple story that sets up Greenjamin's "call to action" and has a satisfying conclusion. It's nothing crazy but I wouldn't expect that from a game like this, and I legitimately loved the art used in the cutscenes as well. Another standout to me was the music for the stages, which I enjoyed more than I expected to. In my prior experiences, small indie game projects tend to have soundtracks that are unremarkable or, at worst, kind of bad; but the music in this game was generally catchy and fit the levels very well. The only song I wasn't a fan of was the main theme that plays in the main menu (no hate but I just really wasn't feeling the vocals and thought they were a tad annoying). This song unfortunately also plays when collecting the jukeboxes, which is needed for a few of the game's achievements, so I did start to get very tired of it towards the tail end of achievement hunting. Overall, Skator Gator 3D is an awesome game! I can tell the developers had a clear vision for it when starting development and believe they executed that vision perfectly! I'm a big fan of games that have a short playtime but still manage to possess a strong identity and good game feel and strongly believe more games like that are always needed in the games space. If you're on the fence about this title or discovered it recently similar to me do yourself a favor and just play it, I promise you'll have a good time. Thanks for reading, see ya later skater gators! (I forgot to mention but this game also made a neat choice where the designers of each level are credited at the start of the stage. I've never seen a game do that before so I thought it was cool!)